Sincero Wine & Dine, Ipoh

A sudden urge to indulge, plus the temptation to feast with some old frens led us to a crossroad of decisions. Should we go to Denis Jazz Bistro for some traditional English pies and chops? Or would we rather visit Kampai for their great value Japanese Bento? Hmm, decisions, decisions ...

In the end, KCA suggested Sincero, a restaurant-cum-bar that we had intended to visit since aeons ago, but never did due to various reasons. Hey, why not? Parking's a breeze, and we were dressed up to the nines (or rather, in work clothes, but hey, still smart ma) anyway. FYI, previously they upheld a strict dress code, no slippers and shorts allowed in the premise. Wow, probably that was what scared us. We expected sky-high prices for typical fine dining joints. But oh boy, were we wrong ...

Chicken soup for some poor souls ...

From 12-3.30pm every weekday, they serve set lunch, from RM10.90 onwards. Yes, from the interior, you would expect high end pricing, (sorry photos of the seating area cannot be published to protect the innocents, =P) but instead, the sets are priced moderately, with RM14.90 being the most 'expensive' ones.

... matched with yummy toasted garlic bread

We were served the soup-of-the-day, cream of chicken, with freshly toasted garlic bread. Though a bit salty, the toast was buttery, crispy at sides, with pieces of REAL garlic sprinkled on top. The soup was creamy, not too rich, with strips of chicken meat, and some vegetables (probably celery). A good starter. But, wait .... that was NOT the only starter?

Oh, another appetizer? Gr8!!

Moments later, we were served with a plate of salad each. Hey, TWO appetizers? Fresh vegetables (but the carrot strips were slightly dry) drenched in thousand island dressing cannot go wrong.

Spaghetti Amatriciana (RM14.90 per set)

My spaghetti arrived first, pardon the dark, blurry photos as the interior is quite dimly lit, and you know how 'reliable' handphone camera is. I think it is Amatriciana, as I browsed through the menu, and this was what the waiter showed me. With LOTS of beef bacon slices, generous sprinkled with parmesan cheese, and garnished with mushrooms and capsicums, the spaghetti was done al dente, and the portion was BIG. Delicious.

Vegetarian Pizza (RM14.90 per set)

KCA ordered the pizza set, and the pizza of the day was Vegetarian. Though may sound lacklustre on paper, the pizza came with thin dough, the way pizzas should be, and garnished liberately with olives, onions, capsicums, and lots of mozzarella cheese. Perfect as a snack, and served its function as a main.

Mongolian Lamb Cutlets (RM14.90 per set)

TallGal and KYT ordered the same set of Lamb Cutlets, served with spaghetti (same variety with mine) and mashed potatoes. The serving was a bit small though. Drenched in black pepper sauce, the lamb was tender, with minimal chewy parts, but the gravy was a tad salty. KYT commented that his spaghetti was overcooked, rendering the noodles tougher than ideal.

Fish & Chips (RM12.90 per set)

FCOE and LWK ordered fish and chips, served cutlet-style, with the same sides as the lamb. Tried a piece, and the fish was fresh, succulent and devoid of mud smell. Probably dory fish, but quite tasty.

Dilmah Oolong Tea?? (dun mind the fat fingers, that's KYT's ... hehe)

One thing I forgot to mention was that we were served a soft drink each, complimentary as welcome drink, and at the end of our meal, we were given options of coffee or tea. Strange combination of Coke and coffee I know, and would be glad if they change the welcome drink to dessert instead. The coffee was a bit too strong, definitely for coffee-lovers, but KCA had fear of palpitation (read:rapid heartbeat), and left most of her cup unattended. (One nice touch was that we were given white and brown sugar to choose from, and fresh milk as well). The rest had tea, and it came in a pot.

Total bill for 6 came to RM98 including 10% service charge and 5% gov tax. The place was quite empty, as from the outside, it was pretty difficult to ascertain whether they were open or not.

Location : 2, 2A & 4,4A, Jalan Medan Ipoh 6, Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh, 31400 Ipoh. Tel : 05-5485720. Specifically, it is a corner lot facing Tesco hypermarket, opposite 1919 Restaurant and back-to-back with Nasmir Nasi Kandar. They have a bar that serves various cocktails as well.